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Artist Shepard Fairey and photographer Aaron Huey created this in reference to the U.S. government's policy of ignoring the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie. This hung as a giant banner at Saturday's press conference.

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Tribes Reach Deal to Purchase Black Hills Sacred Site

ICTMN Staff

9/4/12

“When I saw that Pe’ Sla was at risk, I thought somebody should do something and I said that to myself for about two weeks. Then I thought I should probably do something,” said Chase Iron Eyes, an attorney, at a press conference held Saturday to announce the tribes’ purchase of Pe’ Sla.

What he did was write an article August 1 for LastRealIndians.com and his efforts snowballed from there. The website raised more than $300,000 to help with the purchase of the sacred site. Those funds were combined with $1.3 million put up by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe to make the purchase possible, though details of the arrangement are still being negotiated.

“We are greatly encouraged by the enormous outpouring of support to protect Pe’ Sla and for the reigniting of our collective consciousness relating to sacred sites and the Black Hills—Wamaka Ognaka y Cante (the Heart of Everything that is),” reads a press release at LastRealIndians.com. “To us, it is not about the amount of money we raised; it’s about the amount of energy shared by the world and the once in a lifetime unification of the Oceti Sakowin.”

“If we don’t start uniting and coming together as people then people are going to continue to walk all over us,” said Robin LeBeau, tribal councilwoman for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, at the press conference. “It doesn’t matter if we’re from Cheyenne River or if we’re from Arizona or from New York or our sisters and brothers from up in Canada.”

A rally will be held Wednesday, September 5 in Rapid City, South Dakota at 5 p.m. to celebrate the purchase of Pe’ Sla at the Memorial Park Band Shell.

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Tears of joy stream down my face! VICTORY for the "Human Beings"! It is a shame that the land had to be purchased instead of returned, but this is how it must have had to be under the circumstances. I am of the Rainbow Nation, 1/4 Cherokee and mixed. I was blessed to be taught the Lakota way by pipe holders in Minnesota from '93 to '03, and still do my best to walk in balance on the Good Red Road by sharing with others, these beautiful ways. I could not be happier to hear this news!I wanted so much to make a donation when i heard about this, all I could do was offer my most heartfelt prayers for this to come into fruition! Pilamaya aloh Tankashila, and Thank You ALL who donated to make certain this happened! CELEBRATE this huge victory my cousins, and know I am celebrating with you all! Hetch etu aloh! Mitakuye oyasin aho!

Ever since the Pe'Sla story emerged, we were watching everything closely and doing whatever small thing one can do-NBC4.com was notified of the need to redeem the land so it would not fall to industry or something like that. It sure is good to see the tribe have success in this situation, but please don't let your guard down for a minute. The threat to your site was just a hint of what's going down outside of the mainstream media's attention- there is a push by Royal families of Europe, banksters,and other foreign interests to take all things American by FORCE and this is provable,sad to say. Please google " banks brag they conquered america and europe through financial crisis" for openers,and you can see where this is all going. All 300 million citizens here are in peril from thisand it's closing fast. Without awareness as well as resistance they WILL beat you,and everyone else not of their"elite."